Obituary of William "Bill" Burgess

BURGESS: Bill Burgess died on Saturday, August 11, 2018 at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre in Toronto. It's customary to say nice things about the deceased. But anyone who ever knew Bill Burgess knows that every kind word spoken about him was well-earned. His belief in essential human decency was never shaken, and it is no coincidence that he was a walking demonstration of that ideal himself. Bill was a man seemingly without cynicism, without guile or malice, quick to laugh, always a threat to burst into song, a man who sincerely thought the best of others and worked to advance the cause of the less fortunate. People who took his unconscious example to heart became better people as a result. He was a good man. Bill Burgess was born April 9, 1925 in Ottawa, ON, to Joe and Lena Burgess. The youngest of eight, Bill was raised mostly by his older sisters after Lena died when he was only seven. He attended Queens University where he would begin working toward a Ph.D in Ministry; a process interrupted by a stint in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. It was while playing for the Queens Golden Gaels football squad that he first saw a redheaded Highland dancer named Joan Slorance. They would be married on December 28, 1950, separated only by Joan's death 58 years later. Bill's career in the United Church would take them around the country. After five years in Regina the Burgesses, now with five young children, ended up in Brandon where Bill became the minister of Knox United. He would later work for the Manitoba Department of Agriculture and finally at Brandon University, where he had already served as chairman of the board of governors. Bill was devoted to the Roughriders, the BU Bobcats, the Blue Jays, and the New Democratic Party in equal measure. Always politically active, Bill would take up almost any cause that involved justice, decency, and respect for the marginalized. Bill and Joan had a wide circle of cherished friends and professional colleagues. Those who met them, worked with them, or celebrated with them were almost invariably enriched by the experience. One anecdote: some years ago Bill contracted shingles and found it too painful to wear a shirt. Bill's fellow Knox Church choir members showed up at the Burgess house to serenade him—all of them shirtless. In a Manitoba December, too. Bill is survived by his five children: Joe, Lynn, Jock, Leslie, and Steve; sons-in-law Don and Rolf; daughters-in law Coralie and Martha; grandchildren: Andrew, Nathan, Emily, Olivia, Sam, Kate, and Sibylla, and many wonderful nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Bill's Life will be held at Knox United Church, 451 – 18th Street, Brandon, MB on Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. with Lydia Glawson officiating. A reception will follow. Donations in Bill's memory can be made at interpares.ca or a charity of your choice.